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Album Details

• Artist: Ani Difranco
• Album: Evolve
• Label: Righteous Babe
• Year of Release: 2003
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-04-14

I'm sure everything that could be said about Ani Difranco has been said since her 1989 self-titled debut album. I'm sure every album she has put out has been both praised as well as slammed. I'm sure many girls have tried doing their own record label in the way that Ani started up her Righteous Babe Records. I'm sure Ani has played pretty much every city in North America. So what is she "Evolving" from on her latest album? Well, she is still wordsmithing to no end, weaving the English language in ways that only a hip-hop artist should be able to. Have a listen to the epic "Serpentine" and you will swear that Ani is from the ghetto, hitting you with beat poetry that is marvelous and thought provoking. It only has a minimal guitar backing it up. On "In The Way" she tries out a very cool shuffle beat complete with a horn section and wah-ed out guitars. "Icarus" she is playing around with a slide guitar sound as Ani creeps around with one of the darkest tracks on the album. With "O My My" she leans right into a jazzy number that would sound more at home on a Marsalis jazz album but makes it her own. "Evolve" could easily fit onto a Dave Matthews album. In essence, Ani's Evolution is more towards a jazzier style while moving further away from her folky roots. Some fans may shy away from this album but most should appreciate its qualities. I'm not a die-hard fan but I enjoyed this album. Let's hope that Difranco continues to Evolve. One thing that Ani does right is her album covers. They are always very impressive and Evolve is no exception.

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